Shifts in Minority Science and Engineering Degrees

While minority institutions remain crucial to educating minority students in science, they appear to be producing smaller proportions of new minority scientists than in the past, according to data released Wednesday by the National Science Foundation. In 2008, historically black colleges awarded 20 percent of the bachelor's degrees earned by black students in science and engineering, down from 26 percent in 2000. In 2008, colleges with high Latino enrollments awarded 32 percent of bachelor's degrees in science and engineering that went to Latino students, down from 35 percent in 2000.